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Klein felt his eyebrow twitch as his sister danced across his room, scattering hangers and dresses all over his newly swept floor.
“Klein!” she shouted twirling around in the sixth sundress she modeled for him today, “What about this one?”
“Clarine. When you said you had an emergency, I thought— ”
“THIS IS AN EMERGENCY,” she whined, shouting louder and placing her hands at her hips, “A FASHION EMERGENCY!”
“Clarine.”
“I need to find the perfect dress before my girlfriend gets here!”
‘Ah. Yes. The Girlfriend’, he thought as he rubbed his ears from his sister’s shrill wails. As surprised as he was that she didn’t just date that Rutger fellow, he was rather interested in meeting the girl who swept his baby sister off her feet. For the last week and a half, it was nothing but lovesick sighs and puppy-dog eyes on their chaise lounge—but if sending her off for the weekend would put an end to the incessant whines of “I’m going to die without her” then be his guest.
“I’m sure she’ll love whatever your wearing, Clarine, but we need to speed this up. Chop. Chop.”
And on cue, his sister screamed after glancing at the clock.
“Wear the pink chiffon dress with your wedge sandals and finish…. whatever else you need to do, before your fifteen- minutes are up!”
After his sister scurried to the bathroom with her clothing in tow, he could now concentrate on the more important things to think about:
Scaring Clarine’s girlfriend shitless.
He wasn’t an overprotective brother by any means, but ever since the whole…Narcian incident he couldn’t be too careful—even young ladies deserved a little warning. As Dieck once said, “You’ve got to be skeptical.”
But who knows?
Perhaps, Clarine found herself to be in good company this time. She did manage to befriend Roy after all. She did help save the kingdom. She did become an A-class healer in her own right. And, yet…
Perhaps a little scaring, a small warning, a cautionary tale, would suffice. Just to get the message across. After all, neither Narcian nor Erik ever saw the light of day again…not that he had anything to do with it, of course.
“Master Reglay, Milady’s guest has a arrived,” called one of the servants as he appeared at his doorway.
“ Right. Thank you,” he nodded, watching him bow through reflection in his mirror, “I’ll be right there.”
Adjusting his ascot, he looked himself dead in the eye, presenting the best “bitch face” the world had ever seen.
“There.”
As Klein walked down the hallway and towards their front door, the sight of dead flowers and flickering lights caught his attention. The corridor was growing considerably darker with each step he took. It was if the lights in the entire household blacked out. From the corner of his eyes, he could make out the faint outline of shades draped around what seemed to be the windows, but with some invisible screen blocking any light coming through…
The pit of his stomach dropped, as Klein feared the worst. They were under attack.
He cursed under his breath.
The momentary lapse of peace made him soft. Deick would be furious with him. Whoever they were had a dark mage at their disposal and a fearsome one at that. Judging by how far and how silent the darkness had spread, the mage would only be a few feet ahead.
Klein flattened himself against the wall, hiding behind the turn in the corridor that led to their waiting area. He could either turn back now, rush to find Clarine, and hope enemy had not reached her.
Or… try to take the devil head on. He didn’t have his bow, but he could buy Clarine and the servants some time to get away. With luck, Deick would have sensed the danger, found Clarine, and evacuated to their designated rendezvous point should an attack ever happen. Worst-case scenario with the house was surrounded, Deick incapacitated and Clarine….
Maybe he should turn back and get her, after all.
But he froze.
A heavy breath puffed against the back of his ear.
“Hello.”
He couldn’t move. He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t do anything but shake in fear.
“Do you like darkness?”
He peed a little.
“DARLING!”
Klein blinked. The darkness receded. The sunlight poured from above. The corridor was as radiant and as elegant from the morning rays as always. Fresh flowers with morning dew still moist on their leaves while the windows had their drapes gently float from the light breeze.
He turned around to the sight of his sister hugging the arm of what appeared to be the walking dead, ancient Egypt Edition.
“Clarine…”
“Klein! This is Tharja,” she beamed, snuggling into the arm of the monster in question, “My darling girlfriend.”
The only response Klein received was a shrouded stare that seemed to fall somewhere between a glower and a glare.
“Meh.”
“Isn’t she just,…” Clarine swooned, her eyes widening in place into her signature love-sick, puppy-eyed stare, “Darling.”
“Come. We go.”
“Clarine. Wait!”
But it was no use. His cries went unheard, for Tharja whisked his sister away with a swish of her cloak. He covered his face unable to look past the splash of black blood that seemed to splatter in the air while flashes of red lights momentarily blinded his field of vision.
When he was sure the lights faded away, Klein looked around, both horrified and stunned that the corridor was left completely untouched.
“Klein.”
He shrieked.
After moving himself into his best martial arts stance, he stood frazzled before realizing it was Deick standing behind him.
“Deick! Thank goodness you’re here,” he yelled both embarrassed and relieved his childhood savior was here, “ Clarine has--.”
“Deick?”
The man was petrified: pale as ghost, quivering in fear and tears leaking from the corners of his blood-shot eyes. It was as if he was a shadow of his former self.
“Klein…I’ve met the devil.”
“Deick?”
“Her name…is Tharja.”